Matters of The Heart
by bLuEyEs716
Summary: Set after the season 2 finale, the teens discover that the people they once were aren't the people they are now. Some left the small town only to return to realize everything they ever wanted was staring them in the face. There are things in our lives tha


**MATTERS OF THE HEART**

**PART I: BACK TO THE BEGINNING**

**FALL 2005**

**Chapter One: The Lonesome Road**

The months went by slowly and summer was finally coming to an end. Over the course of time, things were altered and people were changed. Some realizing their true strength, others returning to a place they once called home. They say time, whether long or short, can change a person entirely. As family and friends come together, they witness how time has indeed taken its toll.

'If you love someone let them go...', or that's what's been told to six teenagers of Tree Hill, North Carolina. Love can sometimes be an improbable thing; two people must believe their love is strong and willing. When separated from those they loved most, all they had were their beliefs and hopes to keep them going. This is the story behind the story of what love is and what it can become.

"_Peyton…I have to go" he couldn't believe he was letting her go again. The change in her expression from cheerful and excited to heartbroken and distraught broke his heart. _

"_What? No, don't. Stay here"_

"_Nikki found Jenny" even though he'd said it, the thought didn't digest in his mind, there was no way a irresponsible person like Nikki could ever have his daughter. _

"_What d'ya mean?" her eyes were stung with tears as she realized yet another person she loved was being snatched away from her. _

"_She _has_ her, Peyton" he said, his voice was so vulnerable and broken._

"_What!" her voice bleak. "How?" she knew the answer to both those questions, she just wasn't ready to accept it. _

"_I don't know how," he said walking towards the door. "I have to go, I have to find her" it took a lot for him to walk out, but he knew he wouldn't be able rest if he didn't. After a final goodbye, he was gone. _

Three months passed and with everything the summer offered, her mind was stuck on Jake. Where he was, if he'd found Jenny, and most importantly, was he coming back. With her best friend almost two thousand miles away she had no one to confide in, no one to tell how much this was eating at her. There was Lucas, but he seemed too preoccupied with his own problems to listen to hers. Haley had decided to come back, but she was the last person she wanted to see or talk to. Peyton didn't understand why someone would leave the person they claimed to love, she couldn't grasp the concept of a music concert being more important to the person you vowed, 'til death do us part. .' to.

As she looked at herself in the mirror she finally recognized the reflection, her long spiraling curls were replaced with shorter straight golden locks. The person she knew last year wasn't who she wanted to become, she smiled with the hope that things would get better as time passed.

Jake looked down to see a smiling face looking up at him, it was then he realized, the summer of turmoil and frustration, was over. He still remembered the scent of her perfume and trimmer in her voice. It was all he had to take with him; it was what kept him going when he wanted to give up.

"Ready to go home?"

_As he rode into the dreary night searching for his daughter, his heart broken, it seemed as if everything was spiraling downhill. The cold air surrounded him and showered him with pain. He knew his attempt was going to be difficult and the chances of finding his daughter were nearly impossible but he was ready to take those chances because the chance of his daughter being raised by a psycho was far greater. _

_He'd spent most of his time searching, he looked in. ten cities in thirty nights and his hopes for her still being in North Carolina were slim. With the little amount of money he had to spare, Jake checked into a crippled motel. He fell onto the worn out spring mattress in despair. For all he knew Nikki could've hopped a flight for Mexico. When all hope was lost and he knew his little girl was gone forever, he received a phone call that would change everything. _

"_Hello, this is Sheriff McGrady of the Raleigh county police department. Are you the parent of a Jenny Jagielski?" it was like a miracle. He gave the sheriff his number and headed down to the station. _

_A five-hour drive seemed to pass so quickly but his excitement didn't shield the fear held inside him. When he arrived he saw his little girl wrapped tightly in a blanket being fed by a female police officer. "That's my daughter!" he yelled. _

"_Sir, can I talk to you for a moment" an older looking officer said to him. "I'm Sheriff McGrady; I spoke to you on the phone." _

_He saw Jenny was safe and didn't want to risk that by overacting or being too impulsive. Jake followed the officer into one of the back rooms. "Where has she been?" he asked, surprisingly calm. _

"_We found her two nights ago in a 2001 silver Jeep, she was alone and seemed to be for a while. By the looks of it she hadn't been fed nor taken out the vehicle for some time" When dealing with situations like this, the sheriff was taught to get the information out in the open before asking or answering any questions._

"_And where was the mother?" he grit his teeth, this was why he was put in jail. The previous time this happened he told himself he would never let it happen again, listening to it made the young man feel just as irresponsible as Nikki. _

"_We found her not too far from the car; she was carrying a pack of marijuana. She's being held in custody for questioning."_

"_I knew she would do this. Sir, Nikki was given custody of my daughter after abandoning us for seven months, she took my little girl away from me to find her like this. Frightened, alone"_

"_If I have any say that can be changed right now!" In all his years of working, he'd never seen a case where a person like Nicole Rodriguez claimed custody of a child. Within a matter of hours everything was handled and Jake was released with Jenny and full custody of her while Nikki was serving time for child abuse and abandonment. _

The trip to High Flyer's basketball camp was like a release from everything wrong with Nathan's life, basketball was all that mattered…or that's what he told himself as the bus left Tree Hill for the summer. Two months later, as he looked out the opaque window watching the endless amount of fields and trees pass, Nathan didn't know what to think. He thought the summer would bring a guiding light to his life but all it did was make him realize how far away that light had become.

"_I made a lot of mistakes, Nathan" for weeks he'd dreamt of what it would be like when his wife decided to return, he thought of what he would do or say. But as he looked into her teary eyes, he felt no compassion._

"_That's right…and if you left the tour for me, you made another one, because I'm leaving in the morning; I'm going to High Flyers" he felt proud of himself, he wanted Haley to feel as sad and miserable as he felt when she left. His pride only lasted for a second though, who was he fooling? No matter how angry he was, he would always love Haley._

_Haley just stared, on her plane ride back she thought of a million things to say and do but now, as she saw how much her husband had changed, she was speechless for words, but she knew she had to be happy for him even if the fact was hurting her. "Oh. Well, good. Good, you deserve to have what ever you want" she ended with a weak smile. _

"_Well, listen, there's-there's no more apartment and…I put all your stuff in storage…so you can spend the night in the guest room if you want"_

_She nods gratefully but remains standing still, it took most of her strength to guide her from his room she paused at the door and turned back, "Nathan, there wasn't a moment when I was away…that my heart wasn't with you in Tree Hill" _

"_That's great," he said with a sour and sarcastic tone in his voice. "But I'm still leaving tomorrow, and unlike _you,_ I'm taking my heart with me" not able to face her, he turned to the window, sighing as he realized how mean he sounded. _

"Next stop, Tree Hill…" he heard the bus driver announce over the P.A. Nathan didn't realize what a daze he was in; he tucked his necklace with the golden ring back into his shirt.

Everyday she came into her apartment; Haley was reminded of how much she hurt Nathan. The painting on the wall was all it took to turn what seemed like an okay day into nothing. She tried her best to arrange things how they were but the reality was things _weren't _how they were, everything she took for granted was now gone and the memories of her short lived happiness were erased with the color of pink paint.

As she lay alone in her bed she realized she'd never felt more alone. Sure, on tour she slept in an empty bed but this was different. What use to be her favorite time of the day, lying down in bed beside Nathan talking about everything or nothing at all was now replaced with silence, thoughts of what was kept her awake most of the night. Lucas came over often to check up with her or to keep her company, the two exchanging random thoughts about what occupied their mind.

"_Hales, I still can't believe you came back" her best friend said smiling, it was only a week after Nathan went off to High Flyers and Haley missed him as though he'd been gone forever. She was in the process of moving her things back into the apartment, using the money she earned on the tour, Haley had enough to buy back the apartment and pay for her things left in storage. _

"_Sometimes I wish I hadn't. Luke, he's been gone for a week and he hasn't called back or answered any of my phone calls" _

" _Nate changed. He's not the same person you left Haley, just give him time" With Brooke gone and Nathan disowning him, Lucas was happy to see a friendly face, especially if that face was Haley._

"_So, tell me again about this Brooke situation…"_

"_I love her; I want to be with her. It's simple as that," he said confidently. He just wished he'd told her sooner. _

"_Isn't love supposed to be enough? If you truly love someone, shouldn't that be enough to keep you together" Haley sighed._

"_I wish it was but love is complicated especially if one has had their heart broken" Lucas' record showed that he was a good kid; he kept up his grades and balanced basketball with it. But he's made mistakes, some bigger than others and one in particular he wish he'd never made. Cheating on Brooke made him realize how much he had to grow; it also showed him how difficult it would be to win her trust again. _

"_I have a feeling it's going to be a long summer" _

When he told his mother to leave for the summer, he didn't know what a huge responsibility taking care of the café and club would be. On a weekend afternoon, he decided to occupy himself with making a few adjustments to Karen's café; his project was to 'fix it up'. By July, there were freshly painted walls with murals and a collection of pictures and paintings. He was proud of his accomplishment but he knew he would have some explaining to do when his mother arrived.

"I hope the food hasn't changed along with everything else" Lucas heard a familiar voice say; a smile covered his face as he noticed Keith come in. It'd been five months since he was last seen or heard from and it was a pleasant surprise to have him back.

"Welcome back Keith! Like the place? Took most of the summer to finish" he smiled, proud that he'd done something besides brood over the past three months.

"It's a little too 'hip' for me. Did your mother see it yet? Or is she in the hospital from having a cow" he chuckled; glad to have these long awaited moments back.

"No, she's not due back for another week. She left for Kentucky, some workshop…why, do you miss her or something?" Luke loved messing with his uncle, he always knew him and his mother had more than friendly feelings for another and shoved it in their faces whenever he had the chance. Because of Keith, he never felt abandoned; he always had a father figure even if he didn't have a father.

"Watch it Luke, I'm still family which means I have the authority to kick your ass if I felt like it" Never did Keith feel like he got the shorter end of the stick, sure his brother was the millionaire and had the lavish things but Keith had everything he needed with Karen and Lucas.

"So, what's Tree Hill's latest dramatic episode?" The two talked about the past months reliving old memories and handing out advice if needed. To Luke, this was definitely the calm after the storm, if the rest of his days went by as smoothly as the day with Keith did, he would be all right.

The California sun shined brightly, the birds chirped happily, and never had she'd been to so many shoe stores. Life would seem to be going perfectly fine for Brooke Davis, except the fact that all the boys who flirted and came on to her, the only one that mattered was thousands of miles away in a place where she didn't care if the weather was nice or the birds were happy. The moment she arrived she knew the summer wasn't going to be the same. Her parents showered her with money and gifts, but what else was new? And then there was that kiss, she could still smell his aftershave and feel the butterflies when his lips met hers.

"_Tell me that was a goodbye kiss," she said in a state of shock. And here she thought he'd forgotten all about her._

"…_I wanna be with you, Brooke" the words were music to her soul, but she still couldn't help thinking it was all just a dream._

"_What?" she stepped back, tears in formed in her eyes; tears of joy, hope, and fear that any moment she would wake up._

"_I'm sorry. I know we're friends…it's just how I feel" _

"_What about Peyton's stuff?" When she found the box of her best friend's letters, pictures, and possessions hidden in Lucas' closet her hopes for them ever being more than friends faded in that instant. Hearing all this scared Brooke, she was still afraid of getting her heart broken and was pushing on time considering her cab was waiting to take her away for the summer. But she couldn't leave without an explanation. _

"_I keep that stuff as a reminder of how badly I screwed up things," he said, looking her deeply in the eyes, she felt like he could see right through her. "…With you. To remind myself, if I ever got a second chance…I'd never let you go again" Brooke left with those words engraved in her mind; it kept her from feeling alone when she knew her parents could care less. Most importantly it gave her hope to be able to open up her heart and allow it to love. _

It was two weeks until she would be back in Tree Hill and two weeks until she had to face everything she left. Most of her clothes were already packed, with an exception of the clothes she recently bought. Besides the shopping malls and hot boys, California was a place where Brooke had nothing to offer. It made her realize how different this place was, how much she didn't belong. Every night she went to sleep with the thought of returning to her small town, and every night she thought of Lucas.


End file.
